


The Forgotten Fourteenth Member

by madmanslash



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fix-It, M/M, Male Slash, future smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-03
Updated: 2015-01-14
Packaged: 2018-02-11 13:29:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2070006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madmanslash/pseuds/madmanslash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Bilbo Baggins wasn't the only burglar recruited to help the Dwarves on their quest to reclaim Erebor?</p><p>Milo Tooks is a strange Hobbit, even for a Took. He lives with his "Uncle", Bilbo Baggins in the quaint country side of the Shire. He's always found it to be boring and dull, but that is all changed the day a wizard appears on the doorstep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Unexpected Company

**Author's Note:**

> Rating is for later chapters.

Chapter One- Unexpected Company

It was a perfect day. 

The sun's warm rays were bounding over the grassy knolls of the shire, shining against the fresh green of the new spring. Birds twittered excitedly as they flew about, gathering twigs and things to make nests for their soon-coming eggs. Young hobbits played along the paths with one another. Their parents tended to their gardens and fields, taking advantage of the beautiful weather.

Yes, it was a perfect day, and I was stuck inside. 

It was mostly that Lobelia's fault. She was such an unpleasant person to be around, always gossiping and spreading childish rumors. There were a fair amount of things she disliked, as she disliked anything that didn't fit her view of normal and socially acceptable. So, due to the fact that I was quite abnormal, she disliked me very much. Therefore, whenever I bothered here, she blew it out of proportion and exaggerated it to ridiculous lengths.

I had just been walking the path through Bag-End, like I did every day it was nice out. Occasionaly I would stop to play with the children that were out and about, before their parents gave me odd looks and ushered them away. It was something I was used to though, so it hadn't stopped the skip to my step as I continued on my way. Not long after, I found myself getting bored-- something that happened often-- and decided to start walking backwards. It was fun, seeing things going farther away as you walked, instead of them getting closer. However, it made it hard to avoid bumping into people, and so that's exactly what happened.

Lobelia had screamed when I bumped into her, stumbling and waving her hands around like a mad person. I had swung around to grab her before she fell, but she had only ripped her hands out of my grasp. A stupid decision on her part, for she then lost balance and was sent falling into a mud puddle on the side of the path. Her skirts had gone flying up, exposing her undergarments to the whole world. Everyone around us guffawed and laughed at the ridiculous display, while Lobelia was not nearly as amused.

I had been dragged back by my ear-- much to my protest-- by a muddy, flustered Lobelia. I could tell that Uncle had been amused at first, which was no surprise given that he disliked Lobelia just as I did. However, after she had gone, I was tortured with the long, recurring lecture from Uncle that I got whenever in trouble.

So here I was, confined to the smial, but not for long.

It was often that this happened. I had a knack for getting into trouble and therefore ended up being restricted to the inside of our home quite often. So often, in fact, that I had developed a rather fool-proof way of getting out of the smial unnoticed.

Uncle was a creature of habit, not that that was a necessarily bad thing. In all aspects, it was quite good, especially for me. He always rose around the time of dawn, waking me up rudely as well. I was never one for mornings. Afterwards I would groggily follow him to the kitchen where we would eat a substantial breakfast. He would then do a bit of tydying up before going outside to tend to his garden, of which he was so overbearingly proud of. Then he would have second breakfast, followed by a walk. When he got back, a smoke of his pipe was due and he would sit outside and enjoy the sun. Then was lunch and tea-time. Finally, a trip to the market and then dinner. This cycle was repeated almost in utter exactness every day, with only minor deviations. Occasionally a party would be held, but not without at least two days notice.

So, it was with this knowledge of his schedule that I could easily slip in and out without worrying too much about getting caught.

As it was, Uncle had just left for his walk, made obvious by the shutting of the door and the shutting of the fence-gate soon after. Smiling giddily to myself, I hopped into the entryway. Looking at the coat rack, I was only further delighted when I saw Uncle had taken his coat, which he only did when taking longer walks.

Without further a due, I was out the door and making my way down the path for the second time that day.

This time, I had gone in a different direction than usual. This part of the path, if followed for a while, led to the river. This path didn't have many homes along it, which made it more suitable for when I was sneaking out. It was when I had wandered quite a bit away from our smial that I saw the most peculiar sight, a wizard. 

I had noticed him straight away, although it was hard not to when he stood out so obviously.

He was a fair distance away, but I could still make out some of his more distinct features. The first thing I saw was his tall, gray pointed hat. Next was the long, wiry, white hair and beard that peaked from under the hat and hung limply to his waist. His long dress-like robe was the same dull color as his hat and swayed around his sandaled feet as he walked. 

It was odd to see anything but a Hobbit in the Shire, not unheard of, but very odd. So, naturally, my interest was piqued. 

However, it had been too long. Uncle was due back from his walk before too long now and it was in my best interest to get back before him. Dissapointed that I couldn't stay and see what the wizard was up to, I hurried back home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I had only been reading in the study for e few minutes when I heard the familiar creak of the door opening. Hopping up from where I sat and leaving my book, I padded down the hall. Peeking around the corner into the entrance, I watched as Uncle shrugged off his coat and went to hang it.

"How was your walk?"

"Aah!" Uncle yelped as he dropped his coat on the floor. I chuckled a bit, smiling as I stepped out from behind the corner. He let out a breath, hand over his chest, and frowned at me. "Honestly, why do you insist on sneaking up on me so often?" He huffed and leant over to pick up his coat, putting it fully on the rack this time.

"Your reactions are just too much fun," I teased and followed with a laugh. He rolled his eyes at me and wobbled past me. 

"Milo!" Uncle's voice carried down the hallway, echoing off the hard surfaces.

"Yes?"

"Would you get the mail?"

"Yes, Uncle," Still in the entrance way, I opened the door. Shutting it behind me, I walked down our pathway and out the gate to the mailbox. Opening it, I shuffled through. There was nothing of much interest. A few invitations to parties, but that was common. Puffing a sigh, I shoved the letters under my arm and went to go back inside. However, when I looked up, I saw something interesting.

It was the wizard from earlier, standing directly on our front porch. He didn't knock on the door though, only stood there, waiting. Now, the mailbox wasn't directly across from the door, so he hadn't seemed to notice me. Quietly making my way back through the gate, I walked up a few feet behind the wizard. He was quite tall, just as tall as a man, and even though he wasn't facing me, I felt a little intimidated.

"Ahem," He gave a little jump before turning around and looking down at me. 

"Hello, can I help you?" I smiled a little bit at the backwardness of it all. A complete stranger standing on my porch, asking if he could help me. Giving a polite smile, as he did not seem to have ill intentions, I responded in kind.

"Actually, I think it is I who should be asking that question."

"Oh, and why is that?"

"Well, you seem to be waiting in front of where I live." That caused him to be a bit surprised. His eyebrows dissapeared up into his hair as he raised them at me.

"Does a Bilbo Baggins not live here?" Of course he was here to see Uncle, but I had never heard of him knowing a wizard before.

"Oh, well, he does. I'm his nephew. Are you a friend of his?"

"An old friend, perhaps." He mused, speaking more to himself than me. "I am Gandalf."

"Oh, I'm Milo Took." I said after a long pause, realizing it would only be polite to return with my own name. When he heard "Took", a smile crossed his lips and there was a certain twinkle in his eyes.

"A Took? How wonderful. Tell me, Milo, what do you think of adventures?"

"Adventures?" The word itself set a fire in my core. As I said before, I had always been a bit mischevious. However, Uncle dissaproved of anything rambunctious. So, instead of leading my own adventures, I often read about them. The tales always made me swell with excitement, hearing of dragons, battles, victories or defeats. "I think they're amazing and the people that embark on them even more so, but Uncle doesn't quite agree," I laughed bashedly, scratching the back of my neck. "He thinks they're silly."

"And where exactly is Mr.Baggins?"

"Oh, he's just inside. I'll go get him." Leaving the wizard and stepping back inside the house. Setting the mail down, I went in search of Uncle. It wasn't too hard to find him. He was in the smoking room, picking out a pipe and some pipe-weed for his afternoon smoke.

"Ah, there you are Milo," He said as he spotted me in the doorway. "Did you get the mail?"

"Yes, and-"

"Anything important?"

"Um, just a few invitations, but there's-"

"Invitations? Wonderful, it's always nice to have parties to go to in the summer. Although, I suppose maybe I should host one as well. Would have to clean up a bit, bake some snacks." He ignored me and continued to mumble as he trifled through the different pipe-weeds he had. "Ah-ha!" He smiled, pulling out a small tin. "But then again, I supose I'm getting a bit ahead of myself." He pulled out a match as well, stuffing both in his pockets before fully turning toward me. "Was there anything else?" 

"No, nothing at all," I sighed, shaking my head. It would be more fun if I just let him see for himself.

"Alright then, if you need me, I'll be having a smoke on the porch."

"Have fun, Uncle," He raised an eyebrow questioningly, but let it drop as he shrugged his shoulders. Pipe in hand and pipe-weed in pocket, he disappeared down the hall.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that night after Uncle had gone to buy fish for dinner, as fish was only good fresh, I sat at the table as he prepared dinner. I wanted to ask about the wizard and how their conversation had gone, but based on his skittishness that had remained since he had come back in from his smoke, I decided it best to leave it alone.

"There, finished," He stated as he set down two plates of dinner on the table, a delicious smell wafting into my nose. That was one thing about Uncle, he loved making food just as much as he loved eating it and the meals he made were always delicious. However, I was skinnier than most Hobbits. I lacked the overall rotundness as well as the unsatiable appetite. Yes, I still ate quite a bit for my size, but not nearly as much as what was deemed normal for Hobbits. I guess that was only to be expected though, given that I wasn't a normal Hobbit.

Joining me at the table, he tucked a napkin into his shirt. I skipped that and reached for the pepper, sprinkling a generous amount onto the fish. Just as I was about to stab into it with my fork, a ringing echoed through our smial.

Both of us paused and looked towards the door.

"Were you expecting company Uncle?" 

"No..." He removed his tucked in napkin and went for the door. Curious as to who would visit at such a late hour, I followed behind. When Uncle opened the door, an intimidating person was revealed. His head was bald as a boulder, and looked just as hard, but hair covered his face and the back of his neck. His clothes were strange and I could only be sure that he was wearing many layers. His body looked thick and stocky, but I couldn't tell if it was because of the clothes. He was most certainly not a Hobbit, nor a wizard. Thinking back to the books I read so often, a single word popped into my head. Dwarf.

"Dwalin, at your service," His voice was just as intimidating and had a slight grit to it. But this didn't make sense. What was a Dwarf doing in the middle of the Shire, let alone at our front door?

"Um, ah," I could see the red that rose to Uncle's face as he realised he was only in his night clothes and went to tie his robe. Not one to be uncurtious even to strangers, he returned the greeting. "Bilbo Baggins, at yours." As the Dwarf, now known as Dwalin, moved to enter our home Uncle and I simply moved to the side, confused. "Um, do we know each other?"

Dwalin looked at Uncle strangely and replied with a gruff, "No." I almost had to laugh at the perplexed look Uncle wore. "Which way laddy, is it down here." He didn't say it much as a question, but more of a statement.

"Excuse me, is what where?"

"Supper, he said there'd be food and plenty of it," I stayed by the door and watched Uncle hurry behind the Dwarf, still confused as ever. Before shutting the door and following, something caught my eye. Kneeling down, I noticed a small marking scratched into the door. Rubbing my neck, I frowned.

"Funny, I thought Uncle just painted the door," Figuring Uncle had enough trouble with the unsuspected visitor, I shut the door and went back to the kitchen. I was met with the sight of the Dwarf scarfing down biscuits as if he hadn't eaten for weeks. 

"I wasn't um, expecting anyone this evening," Uncle said, just as the door rang yet again. The Dwarf looked glaringly at Uncle.

"That'll be the door," Uncle stood there still rather shocked looking so I offered to get the door and ran to it before any protests could be made.

I opened the door and, surprise, another stranger stood on the porch. It was another Dwarf who, luckily, was much less intimidating than the previous. His head and face were full with white hair and his clothes were just as strange. He looked rather cheery though and held a smile.

"Balin, at your service," He said and gave a whimsical bow.

"Um...Milo Tooks." I returned.

"Am I late?"

"Um...no, I don't believe you are," I answered, unsure of what exactly he was worried about being late for. He went to talk again, but stopped midsentence and looked behind me. Following his gaze, I saw that Uncle and the first Dwarf had wandered into the entryway. The two yelled loudly at each other in greeting and I winced at the sudden barrage on my eardrums. Then I winced again when they suddenly slammed their heads to together. 

Dwarves are indeed very strange, I concluded.

"Um, I'm sorry, but I'm not entirely sure you're in the right place. It's not that I don't like visitors, but-" The two Dwarves went right on ignoring Uncle and proceeded to get mugs and fill them. Figuring that they were doing no harm, I also grabbed a drink and sat off to the side to laugh as I watched Uncle try to politely tell them they were being a bother. Not that they were listening, of course.

The three of them had moved to the pantry when the door bell rang for a third time.

"Humph," Uncle grumphed, "Milo, would you get the door?" Nodding, I set down my drink and went to the door. Low and behold, two more Dwarves stood before me!

These two looked much younger than the others, perhaps around my age. Their beards were much shorter but the clothes were just the same.

"Fili"

"Kili"

"At your service" They bowed and repeated the same words just as the other two had. "You must be Master Baggins!"

"Although, I did imagine you quite a bit older," One of them said and I gave a small chuckle.

"Ah, no. Uncle is inside, with the other two," I corrected them, pointing inside and moving the door open wider to let them in. Who was I to push out guests? They clearly were at the right home.

"Only two? We're early then," Only two? How many more could there be?

"Careful, they've just been sharpened" My eyes widened as one handed me an armful of sheathed weapons, which I placed carefully by the other things the previous Dwarves' things. I then looked over as the other was wiping the mud off his shoes on one of Uncle's many boxes. He was going to have plenty to clean later. 

Soon enough they walked off and I could hear the greetings that echoed from the dining room. Uncle's protests could also be heard, but were drowned out by the sound of a table being dragged across the floor.

Yet again the doorbell rang. I made no waste in opening it again. Although a smial full of Dwarves would be rather stressfull for Uncle, it would be entirely fun for me. However, this time instead of just one or two Dwarves, a whole pile toppled inside and I had to hop back quickly to avoid being fallen on. It was only when a head popped in from the top of the doorway did I see a recognizable face. It was Gandalf.

"Ah, Milo, nice to see you again!" He cheerily greeted as the large group shuffled inside, groaning a bit as they picked themselves off the floor.

"Gandalf, likewise. Um, would you happen to know why all of these Dwarves are here."

"Ah, that shall be explained later. For now, where are the others?" 

"Just this way," I shut the door behind the large group after Gandalf got in with a little difficulty and led them to the dining room. I was rather surpprised when all of the Dwarves started bringing food in from the pantry and moving chairs and furniture. At one point one of them had handed me a whole wheel of cheese to bring to the table and I had simply shrugged and done so.

"Milo, what on earth are you doing?!" By now Uncle was a mess, telling everyone who passed to "put that back" or "set that down" and such things.

"If you can't beat them, join them," I said with a shrug of the shoulders and he just looked on, flabbergasted. After setting down the cheese, I made my way away from the bustling group of Dwarves and into the hall, watching as they continued their task. It was then I noticed the gray man stumbling around everyone as he bumped his head on a small chandelier. "Are you all right Mister Gandalf"

"Yes, i'm quite fine." He gave a smile.

However, it soon disappeared when he again stumbled due to the multitude of Dwarves crowding the way.

"Now let's see, Oin, Gloin...," He quietly began to mutter to himself, appearing to be counting the Dwarves. Figuring Uncle would be needing some assistance in coping with our new company, I made my way to the pantry. I was speechless as I saw it was now almost completely barren. Uncle stood just as shocked.

"Well, seems we'll need to go to the market tomorrow," I laughed nervously, attempting to lighten the air, but Uncle only harumphed in reply. I looked to the side in the dining room as the Dwarves sat at the table, tossing food about and passing out mugs. The only silence made was when they all chugged down their drinks, which was broken by the resulting belches and cheers.

Soon they were done and walking about when one of the younger Dwarves walked up to Uncle, who had been raving to Gandalf about the mess being made in his home, and asked, "What do we do with the dishes?" That's when it began, the dishes were tossed about, going from Dwarf to Dwarf until they reached the sink. Soon enough the were stomping their feet and swiping the silverware, creating a rhythm.

"Stop, you'll blunt the knives!" Uncle said in protest. 

"Oh, Uncle, they're only doing the dishes!" I laughed, a pleasant sense of joy overcoming me. It wasn't often we had parties, but when we did they were dull and boring. This, this was free and fun. There were no rules, no etiquette, just enjoyment.

"Blunt the knives, Bend the forks"

I laughed as I heard them begin to sing, their lyrics making fun of Uncle's worrying.

"Smash the bottles and burn the corks,  
Chip the glasses and crack the plates,  
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!" 

By now Uncle had given up and stood there grumpy, but I was having a great time and was soon stomping to the toon.

Dishes were flying with surprising speed and the Dwarves flung and caught them with ease, creating neat stacks.

At the end of their song, Uncle pushed through their crowd only to have his jaw drop when he realised everything was in perfect condition.

"Told you Uncle, they were only doing the dishes,"

Suddenly, there was someone at the door. This time though, there was no doorbell, but a heavy knock which sounded as if it shook the door. Everyone fell silent. What had been a jovial atmosphere suddenly turned quiet and tense and I got the impression that everyone except Uncle and myself knew who it was.


	2. Talk of Quests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bilbo Baggins and Milo Tooks have just let a great many Dwarves into their home, but they still have yet to find out why. What will the two of them have to say when they find out why they're there?

Chapter Two- Talk of Quests

It was Gandalf who opened the door, but I did not see who it was for I was only just shorter than the Dwarves and therefore they blocked my sight. I could here the newcomer though, and something in his voice and how everyone listened so earnestly told me he was of importance.

Along with Uncle, I wiggled my way through to see the person who had the power to silence such a rowddy group. It was another Dwarf, but there was something that seperated him from the rest. There was no joyful air around him, but a seriousness that sobered you. He stood tall and straight, even if there was no reason too.

"Bilbo Baggins... and Milo Took, allow me to introduce you to the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield." I felt a bit confused as to why I was also introduced as I was sure these Dwarves were only here to see Uncle, even though that was still not for sure.

"So... these are the Hobbits." Thorin said, looking the pair of us up and down, almost as if he was appraising an object he was about to buy. "Tell me, have either of you had experience with fighting? Axe, sword, or something else?" He asked while circling around before coming to a stop.

"Well, I am quite adapt at conquers, but I fail to see how...that's relevant," Uncle replied.

"Thought as much," His attention then shifted to me. "And you?"

"Um, I have a bit of practice with daggers," I said somewhat bashfully. Uncle looked at me as if this was the first he had heard of it, which it was. Hobbits were naturally peaceful and although so was I, I did enjoy the satisfaction of being able to hit a target. I felt as though this Dwarf was someone I should impress and didn't want to hide any of my talents simply because Uncle would dissaprove. Thorin nodded before turning to Uncle.

"Looks more like a grocer than a burglar, if you ask me," Thorin said and recieved a round of chuckles. I frowned and my face grew somewhat hot, angry yet emberassed by his comment.

Once there and settled they spoke of things that sounded of a political nature that I did not understand the significance of. It was not until the mention of a quest came about that I truly paid attention.

Uncle brought in a candle at Gandalf's request as he pulled out a map from his gray robes. 

"Far to the East, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single solitary peak." I looked as the map was placed on the table. A simple drawing of a lone mountain was on it, with a dragon drawn above. Some sort of runes illustrated it, most likely a Dwarvish language that I was unable to read. "The Lonely Mountain."

"Aye," Came the rough voice of one of the Dwarves, whose name I could not recall. "Oin has read the portense, and the portense said it is time." A small series of groans resulted. "Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain,"

"Time for what?" I asked, before thinking and felt somewhat out of place when everyone turned their heads to me.

"Time to reclaim the mountain from the beast," Dwalin said gravely.

"Um, what beast?" It was Uncle who asked this time. He was met with a more casual answer, even though it's contents seemed just as grave.

"That would be referring to Smaug, The Terrible, cheifest and greatest calamity of our age. Airborn fire breather, teeth like razors, claws like meathooks, extremely fond of precious metal." A dwarf with a rather unique hat stated simply,as if he was talking about the weather.

"Yes, I know what a dragon is." Uncle said abruptly, looking a bit nervous and wringing his hands, a habit he had yet to notice. This was followed by a statement of one of the younger Dwarves which everyone rouded at. This then started comments of their abilitiies, going back and forth and created quite a bit of noise as each Dwarve yelled over the other.

This was silenced at once when Thorin yelled something loudly, what exactly I did not know, and stood suddenly. They all sat and shut their mouths at once.

"If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too? Rumors have begun to spread. Smaug has not been seen for sixty years, the vast wealth of our people lays unprotected. Shall we sit back as others claim what is rightfully ours, or shall we take back Erebor?!" A round of cheers sounded but were soon silenced by Balin.

"The gates are still sealed, there is no way into the mountain."

"That my dear Balin, is not entirely true," With that Gandalf twirled a key between his fingers which had most definitly not been there before. It was by no means an ordinary key. It was made of a dark silver metal and its handle was made of diamond shapes looped together.

"How came you by this?" I was surprised to hear Thorin sound so out of breath. His previous voice of steel had faltered some what at the sight of this key, a key that seemed to be of utmost importance.

"It was given to me by your father, by Thrain."

"If there's a key, then there must be a door," Gandalf nodded and pointed to the runes on the map.

"These speak of a hidden passage and the answer to where is hidden in the map as well, and although I do not possess the knowledge to decipher it, I know of others who do. The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage," Gandalf looked towards Uncle and I when he said this last part and a bit of hope rose in my belly. "But if you're careful, clever, and willing, it can be done."

"And that's why we need a burglar!"

"Yes, a good one too," Uncle Bilbo concluded. I frowned and realized his words. There was no chance we could be part of this quest. Although I had some skill in throwing daggers and doing other things, it was no where near the level of skill to take back a mountain, let alone kill a dragon.

"Definitly and expert it would have to be," I mumbled in agreement.

"And are you?" Balin inquired. 

"Are we what?" Uncle and I asked simultaneously, confused.

"They said they're experts!" A dwarf who had a horn held by his ear shouted. Then it dawned on me. They thought we were burglars! More importantly, they wanted us to join them on their quest! I felt the excitement that had been extinguished just moments ago rise back up.

"You mean you want us to join you?!" I asked, unable to contain my joy.

"Of course, why else would we be here?"

"Now, hold on a second! We are no burglars, we do not steal!" Uncle said, obviously appalled by the very idea.

"I have to agree with Master Baggins, Hobbits do not fit the part of a burglar," Balin stated and was followed by the agreement of others. I folded my arms and humphed while Uncle looked rather pleased. This was how our opinions often fell, opposite of each other.

"Enough!" Gandalf rose to his full height, the air darkening around him. "If I say these hobbits are burglars, then burglars they are!" The chatter stopped and everyone starred wide-eyed, including myself, as he cleared his throat before settling back into his seat. "Hobbits are remarkebly light on their feet and can be near invisible when they wish to be. Also, the dragon will not be familiar with the smell of hobbit, giving us an advantage," Uncle's and I's demeanors switched when Gandalf said this. "You asked me to find the final members of this company, and I have chosen Bilbo Baggins and Milo Tooks, who have a great deal more to offer than it seems," Gandalf first said to Thorin, before directing the last bit to the whole table.

"Very well, give them the contract," Thorin said and Balin pulled out a large, folded piece of paper. Uncle hadn't noticed as he was again trying to deny his invitation into the company, so I instead took it and let it unravell onto the floor. It was extremely long and had several areas that unfolded sideways to reveal more information. Several sentences I read made my stomach clench, but at the same time made my chest swell.

"Milo, what does it say?" Uncle went to grab for the paper, but I turned away, knowing he would not be keen when he saw some of the things discussed.

"Oh, just some ordinary things. Expenses and such, liabilities and things..." I trailed off.

"Liabilities?" 

"Oh you know, with there being a dragon involved..." Uncle snatched it out of my hands before I could avoid him again and began muttering as he read.

"Lacerations...incineration...incineration?!" He asked the dwarves.

"Aye, it'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye," I winced at the response and looked over to Uncle. He had suddenly paled and was holding onto his knees, taking odd breaths.

"Uncle, are you alright?" I asked, moving my hands out in case he decided to fall. 

"Um, just a bit faint, just need a moment," He straightened up for a moment and seemed fine, but then a dwarf said something about a pile of ash and he hit the floor.

"Oh, dear," I sighed and scratched my head. I walked to him and lightly slapped his cheek, nothing. "Uncle?" Nothing again. Not really wanting to do what I was about to, but knowing it was the fastest way to make him come out of it, I reached back my hand and planted a firm smack on his cheek. Right away he shot his eyes open and grasped his cheek wich was already pinkish.

"Gracious Milo, you didn't need to do that!" Uncle groaned. The dwarves looked at us a bit shocked.

"Yes, I did."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Milo is part human. No biggie, right? Sure, maybe, guess you'll just have to wait and see!


	3. Sounds of the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of a filler, but still somewhat important :)

Chapter Three- Sounds of the Night

Gandalf had taken Uncle into a separate room, leaving me with the dwarves. Thorin and Balin stood and walked elsewhere, along with a few others who went to wander the house. It was all of the older dwarves that had left the dining room, which all of us younger ones sitting in silence.

I turned to look at the two brothers, Fili and Kili, if I remembered correctly, as they whispered to each other. They stopped, looked at me, then whispered again. Quirking my eyebrow at their odd behavior, I ignored it and took a drink from my mug, just realizing that I had not eaten in all of the excitement. I contemplated going to the pantry to look for something, but doubted the dwarves had left much worth eating.

I went to take another drink but paused when someone cleared their throat. Looking back to the brothers, they were now blatantly staring at me.

"Um, yes?" I asked, perplexed by their staring.

"Well, we were wondering..."

"If you're a hobbit why do you have such small feet?" I frowned at the question. It was true that my feet were extremely small for a hobbit, as they were humanly proportionate to my body rather than hobbitly proportionate. I was often teased for it as hobbit's feet were a bit of a source of pride. Sure, I still had strong soles and a patch of hair, but like in any other matter, size seemed to be a major factor.

"Well, I'm a quarter human on my mother's side, so they are humanly proportioned," I said, a bit off-put by them having asked such a rude question. It was not as if the question itself was entirely rude, but it was the abrupt way in which they asked it.

"A quarter human? That's strange, I've never heard of hobbits and humans having relations before," Again, they stated it in such a matter of fact way, as if they hadn't just implied I was odd.

Before I could retort to them, I saw Uncle walking down the hallway. Excusing myself, I hurried after him.

"Uncle!" I said as I trodded behind him, "What did you say? Are we going?"

"No," His short reply came, but I couldn't help but hear the ounce of guilt that escaped with it.

"But, Uncle! They need our help," I said, trying to reason with him.

"No, Milo, they only needed it because they believed us to be burglars, which we most certainly are not,"

"What does it matter if we are not? Who is to say that we do not have any skills we could use to assist them? They obviously need all the help that they can get and -," I stopped as Uncle suddenly halted in front of me without turning around.

"Listen, Milo. There is nothing we can do, nothing we are able of. We just can't...," He trailed off before walking off. I would have followed him, insisted more, had it not been for what I heard in his voice. As he had spoken, I could hear nothing but the guilt and despair in his voice. It was as if he desperately wanted to believe that he had nothing to offer the dwarves, even though I knew he did. My heart fell heavy and I let out a sorrowful sigh. It seemed there was no chance for me in their quest.

That night, as I retired to my bed, I fell asleep to the sorrowful, deep song of the dwarves of Erebor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The next morning, I awoke to the startling sounds of cluttering, banging, and crashing. Sitting up and squinting my eyes as the bright sun was shining through my window, I let myself become more aware before going to investigate. Stumbling along the wall, I soon found myself in the living area, staring at the strangest sight.

Uncle was darting in and out of the room, bringing various items back each time and shoving them into a pack that was lying in the middle of the floor. At first he did not notice me, but when he did, a brilliant smile stretched his lips.

"Hurry and pack your things, or we'll be late!" Not quite sure what was happening, I waited a few minutes before opening my mouth.

"Late for what?"

"Late for our adventure!"

Once I had been slapped awake by his statement, we had both hurried to gather our packs, sign the contract and leap out the door. I laughed in utter joy as I ran after Uncle who lept over fences and across pastures, something he had always scolded me for. People gave us strange looks we ran past, shaking their heads, but we could care less. We were going on an adventure!

Catching up to the dwarves had not taken very much time. When we had caught site of the behinds of their ponies, we were only barely away from the borders of the Shire.

"Wait! Wait!" Uncle called, contract nearly flying out of his hands as we ran to catch open. The ponies slowed to a stop, as did we. "We've signed it!" He stated rather proudly, smiling and handing the paper to Dwalin.

"So it appears to be. Welcome, Master Baggins and Master Tooks, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield." This resulted in a round of cheery laughs and I couldn't help but have a smile.

"Give them their ponies," Thorin's deep voice said and Uncle immediately began to refuse.

"Ah, no,no, no, no. That won't be necessary, I can walk on foot, no need for a pony," Behind Uncle I stood and shook my head. Even though we had agreed to join their quest, he was still so stubborn.

I had to hold in a shriek of surprise as two arms grabbed me from behind and plopped me onto a pony. I looked to my sides and saw that it was the brothers again. The laughed heartily while I frowned and grabbed onto the reins. They went ahead of me and repeated the same thing with Uncle.

Riding on the ponies was rather easy going. We kept on riding for the whole day, not once stopping, not even to eat. We had to eat lunch on the backs of the ponies and everyone laughed when one dwarf's food fell and he had to scramble to get it and then scramble back onto his pony. The day seemed to end quickly and we found a small indent in a rocky hillside in the forest and made camp.

Night had now fallen and while some slept, most of us sat around the makeshift fire. I had somehow ended up by Fili and Kili yet again. They sat and stared into the fire, smoking their pipes. I had been unable to sleep. Unaccustomed to the nightly sounds of the forest, I twitched and looked around warily at every sound that echoed through the trees.

It was when Uncle had gotten up that the most frightening sound could be heard. It sounded of a mix between shrill screams and the screech of a bird. It could be heard several times, yet it seemed only Uncle and I cringed at it.

"What was that?" Uncle asked, pointing out across the trees in the direction the sound had come from.

"Orcs," "Throat-cutters, there'll be dozens of them out there," Kili and Fili answered. "They strike in the wee hours of the night, while everyone's asleep. That way, there's no screams, just a lot of blood." Uncle looked at them, horrified, when they started to quietly laugh. Although their laughs told me they meant only to scare him, I couldn't help but believe there was truth to what they had said.

Suddenly Thorin, who had been sitting away from the fire, stood and glared at the two. "You think a night raid by Orcs is something to laugh at?" The two looked down, looking reprimanded.

"We didn't mean anything by it,"

"Of course you didn't," Thorin scoffed and walked away towards the far end of our camp. His words only confirmed my fears.

"Don't worry, laddy." Balin said, walking closer to the fire. "Thorin has more cause than most to hate Orcs. After the dragon had taken over the mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom Morhia. But our enemy had gotten there first. Morhia had been taken by legions of orcs, led by the most vile of all their race, Azog the Defiler. He had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin, beginning with beheading the king." I looked towards Thorin, who had his back towards the camp. Somehow I felt that if I were to see his face at that moment, it would be filled with sorrow, even though he stood tall. "Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief and went missing, no one truly knows what his fate was. We were leaderless, defeat and death were upon us." I imagined masses of Orcs and Dwarves, swarming against each other, swinging swords as countless dropped to the ground lifeless. "That is when I saw him. A young dwarf prince, facing down the Pale Orc. He stood alone, his armor gone and wielding nothing but a broken branch as a shield. Azog, the Defiler, learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken. Our forces rallied and drove the orcs back, Our enemy, had been defeated. But there was no feast nor song that night, for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few, had survived and I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is one, who I could call king." Looking to Thorin again, I now saw that the whole company had awakened and stood to face Thorin. Thorin only turned around, looking upon us with a somber face.

"The Pale Orc, what happened to him?" Uncle asked.

"He slunk back into the hole from whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago." Everyone fell deathly silent. The air was now tense as everyone slowly returned to their bed bundles. Knowing it was best that I tried to sleep as well, I found a bare spot on the ground and tucked into my bundle. Pulling the edge as far over my face as I could, I shivered as I listened to the forest's streams. It was a long time before I drifted into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember to message me if you have any particular ideas on who you think the OMC should end up with!


	4. Dumb As a Troll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Company encounters some trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember, feel free to message me about who you think the OMC should be paired with. If it helps, I've narrowed it down to two main choices, Kili or Smaug, but I'm more than willing to consider others at this point! I'm super indecisive, so help please :)

Chapter Four- Dumb As a Troll

 

The next day, the rain was unrelenting. This was quite odd as the weather the previous day had shown no signs of clouds or rain, so none had expected the sudden downpour.

 

It didn't take long before all of us were thoroughly soaked along with our ponies. The awful smell of the wet ponies hung around us. When someone had complained of the smell, Thorin had said they were more than welcome to walk. No one said a word after that. Occasionally, a pony's hoof would get stuck in the thick mud and the whole company would have to stop to wait for it to be pulled out. This happened several times and each time it took several minutes for the hoof to be wrenched free.

 

Our nights were spent crammed into small caves that we found, trying to stay as dry as we could. There was no fire to dry us as all of the surrounding wood was just as soaked as ourselves.The rain carried on and on, never seeming to let up. It was the third day of rain when one of the dwarves asked Gandalf if he could do anything about the rain.

 

"It is raining, Master Dori, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done." was Gandalf's reply.

 

The rain wasn't done for another two days. On the day that it finally did stop, it stopped as abruptly as it had started. The only sign that there had ever been rain was the still muddy ground. Nearing the end of the day, all of us had dried from the sun and were pleasantly happy of the change in weather. We were even happier when we came across a small, abandoned farm that would be perfect for spending the night. Well, all except Gandalf.

 

"I think it would be wiser to move on. We could make for the hidden valley," He had said after appraising the worn down shack that had most likely been the farmer's home. Disgruntled, Thorin walked towards him, away from where the rest of us were. He and Gandalf talked, but they were just far enough to where I could not make out what they were saying. It wasn't long before Gandalf was storming through us and away from camp.

 

"Is everything alright? Where are you going, Gandalf?" Uncle asked while petting his pony.

 

"To seek the company of the only one around here that has any sense!"

 

"Who would that be?"

 

"Myself, Master Baggins!"

 

As the night grew dark, Gandalf did not return. Though no one spoke of it, I knew I was not the only one who was worried he would not return. Whenever it was mentioned, the Dwarves would shrug it off, saying that he was a wizard and did as he pleased. It had been left at that.

 

Thorin had assigned everyone something to do. Kili and Fili were watching the ponies, Oin and Gloin had been sent to gather dry wood and build a fire, and Bombur had been put to the task of making a meal of what we had. That left Nori, Dori, Ori, Bifur, Bofur, Bwalin, Balin, Uncle and myself to lay out the belongings that had not dried in the sun that day. There wasn't much as most of the sacs we used were hide and water-resistant, but there was enough to where laying everything out was a bit of a chore. There were cloaks, blankets, hats, and a few spare set of clothes that were still relatively wet from the rain.

 

By the time we had finished setting out everything, Bombur announced that the stew was done and we gathered around the nice fire that Oin and Gloin had finished. Looking around as everyone began to eat, slurping loudly, I noticed Uncle was missing.

 

"Where has Bilbo gone?" I asked, feeling a bit weird using his name, as I usually only called him Uncle.

 

"Ah, I sent him to bring some stew to Fili and Kili, but that was a bit ago, should've been back by now," Bofur said as he looked around, his hat swinging around. "Best if you go fetch him," I nodded and took my bowl of stew with me. I had learned by experience that it was not wise to leave my food unattended by the dwarves, as they would gobble it up without hesitation.

 

Walking to where the ponies were being kept, dread washed over me. I saw neither Fili, Kili, nor Uncle and there was much less than fifteen ponies. Looking around, I set down my bowl and whispered, "Uncle?" There was no response, not that I was expecting one. Walking to the center of the ponies, I noticed that a tree had split down, splintering where it had broken and fallen. It was then that the ground shook. I stumbled and dove behind what was left of the tree as I heard an obnoxious voice follow the shaking ground.

 

"Ponies, a nice change from mutton. Been havin' too much mutton, been havin' it for weeks," Peeking over the tree, I saw a grotesque looking creature. It was extremely tall and fat, it's belly rippling as it walked. I couldn't be sure in the darkness, but it's skin looked sickly green or grey and I almost gagged when I saw it's feet. I wanted to say it was a troll, but I wasn't sure. It walked over to two of the ponies and hoisted them up under each arm, the ponies neighing and kicking wildly. Once it had both ponies, it walked back to where it had come from.

 

Once it was far enough, I ran out from behind the tree and followed it, being careful to dive behind trees every now and again to keep from being seen. It was only a moment before I stopped behind a tree and saw it drop the ponies into a makeshift pen and sit at a fire. At the fire were two other creatures of the same nature and just as disgusting in appearance. Looking back to the ponies, I was shocked to see Uncle trying to undo the loop on the pen!

 

"Uncle!" I whispered just barely loud enough for him to hear, but so as not to alarm the creatures. His head whipped in my direction, eyes as big as saucers.

 

"Milo, what on Earth...!" He stopped and ducked behind a pony as one creature stood up and looked our way. I pressed my back to the tree and held my breath. Waiting a moment or two, I went to whisper to Uncle again, but he was gone. Confused, I glanced around and nearly choked when I saw him sneaking behind the creature that had sat back down. Cursing him, I looked for something I could do, but my position did not provide the best vantage point. Looking up, I saw the branches of the tree and the dense thicket of leaves that covered them. Being sure to make little noise, I clambered up the tree. The leaves rustled a bit as I settled into a spot, but the creatures were making plenty of noise themselves. Pushing aside a branch just enough for me to see but still stay hidden, I watched Uncle below.

 

He was directly behind one and trying to reach for a sword like object by his side. I clapped my hands over my mouth as the thing suddenly reached behind him, grabbed Uncle, and sneezed into him. I would have laughed if not for the urgency of the situation. The thing shrieked and stood, grabbing the attention of the others. They stood and stared at Uncle as the one that had sneezed on him shrieked," Ah! Oh, what's come out of me 'ooter?!"

 

"What do you suppose it is?"

 

"I don't know, but I don't like the way it moves around!" With that, Uncle was flicked onto the ground, covered in troll snot and now dirt.

 

"What are you then? Huh?"

 

"A burgla- or, um, a hobbit," I shook my head. Leave it to Uncle to blatantly say he's a burglar.

 

"A burglar hobbit?!"

 

"Let's cook 'im!" My heart leapt into my throat as they all stood around him. Looking around me, I picked up a handful of acorns resting in the crook of the branches and threw them as hard as I could at the trolls. Luckily, they hit one directly in the eye, making him scream and clutch his eye.

 

"Ow, who threw that?!"

 

"Who threw what?"

 

"Someone has thrown nuts in me eye!" Their attention was now diverted from Uncle as the looked to see where the nuts had come from, but that didn't last long. As soon as Uncle tried to sneak away, he was picked up by an arm and hefted into the air.

 

"Not so fast now!" He was held by the trolls face. "Are there anymore of you?"

 

"Nope, uh, just me,"

 

"Liar! Hold him over the fire! Then he'll squeal!" Without any warning, Kili jumped from nowhere and slashed at the back of the trolls leg. It howled in pain and looked for the source of it's pain, eyes landing angrily on the lone dwarf.

 

"Drop him!" Kili demanded, sword held sternly in front of him. The troll said nothing and he demanded again, "Drop him!" The troll growled this time and threw Uncle at him and as soon as the two hit the ground, Thorin, Fili, Dwalin, Balin, everyone rushed from out of the bushes, wielding weapons and heading for the trolls.

 

I watched in amazement as they slashed at the trolls' feet, legs and bellies, the only things they could reach, diving out of the way of kicks and grabbing hands. Looking for Uncle, I saw him go for the troll's sword and race toward the pen, sawing against the rope. Within moments it was cut and the horses neighed wildly as the galloped away. This did not go unnoticed by the trolls and when one went to grab him, Uncle was unable to run out of the way. Within a flash of the eye, he was being held by all four limbs in the air. All of the dwarves stopped and looked at him.

 

"Lay down your arms, or we'll rip his arms off!" My heart clenched and my stomach tied in knots as I looked at Thorin. I felt so useless, I could only sit by and watch. I had no weapons to fight them with, and I had no chance against the trolls.

 

Thankfully, Thorin slowly set down his sword, the rest of the dwarves reluctantly following suit. Within minutes they were left in their underclothes, tied in sacs atop each other, some tied to a spit over a fire.

 

"Hurry up and cook 'em! Dawn ain't far and I don't fancy being turned to stone," A light bulb went off in my head and I looked to the horizon. The sunlight was just barely peeking over the mountains, but the sun was still behind them. If the trolls were stalled long enough, the sun could rise and turn them to stone!

 

"Wait! You are making a terrible mistake!" Before any ideas had the chance to come to my mind, Uncle Bilbo was shouting at the trolls. "The thing with the-uh- with the seasoning, have you smelt them? You're gonna need something much stronger than sage before you cook these fellas!" The dwarves roared in disagreement, but I knew what he was up to immediately. Great minds think alike.

 

"Oh? Then tell my burglar hobbit, what do you recommend?" The troll asked maliciously, but completely interested.

 

"Well, the secret to um cooking dwarf is to skin them first!" I buried my face in my hands. Great minds may think alike, but not identically.

 

"What a load of rubbish!" One of the other trolls said, "I've eaten plenty with the skins on, there's nothing wrong with them! In fact, raw is the way to go!" With that, the troll picked up the nearest dwarf and held him above his open mouth.

 

"Not that one, he's infected!" The troll looked at the dwarf, disgusted and dropped him quickly. "In fact, they all have worms! Big, nasty worms, in their... tubes!"

 

"Hare dare you, we don't have parasites!"

 

"Yes, yes they do!" Uncle and the dwarves began to yell over each other, the dwarves clearly not understanding what he was trying to do. The trolls began to tire of the arguing quickly and looked ready to smash them then and there when...

 

"Ow, me eye again!" Everyone stopped and looked at the troll who was now holding his eye. I had grabbed the acorns again and thrown them. For all intensive purposes, it had worked.

 

"Not this again! Who's is thrown nuts at us?!" In reply, I grabbed another handful and threw. This time they hit the other troll in the nose and he shrieked. Now, angry, the trolls looked wildly around, trying to figure out what was happening. The dwarves and uncle looked just as confused, but none-the-less thankful.

 

Grabbing another handful, I carefully moved further out on a branch, hoping to get a better shot. However, as I went to step on a thinner branch, it snapped under my weight and I fell out of the tree onto the ground. Luckily I hadn't been high enough to break anything, but the impact still hurt quite a lot. I didn't have time to recover before I was picked up by my leg and dangled upside down.

 

"Milo!" I looked to the dwarves who looked utterly shocked. They probably hadn't even noticed me missing in all of the commotion.

 

"You's the one who's been throwing nuts in my eye!"

 

"The dawn shall take you all!" The thundering voice reverberated through the air. Everyone looked to the source and none other than Gandalf stood atop a boulder, horizon at his back. He raised his staff and with a brilliant crack, brought it down on the boulder, splitting it in two and flooding the area with light. The trolls yelled and writhed as they slowly began to stiffen, turning to stone. I realized I was still in the stone-troll's grasp and let out a hefty sigh.

 

"I swear you dwarves are as dumb as trolls."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you are reading my other fanfiction, I'm halfway done with the next chapter, so it shouldn't be too long before it's updated! If you're not, then you should! Hope you enjoyed :)


	5. Elves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They arrive in Rivendell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow.....I'm posting another chapter? Say whaaaat lol
> 
> I'm going to try and start this up again and keep on it, no promises. I now have Grace_less beta-reading the story so... less typos! Yay!

After I was broken free from the stone and everyone had gathered their things, we found a nearby cave.

It smelt strongly of decay and I hesitated when following the dwarves inside. Once inside everyone coughed from the thick smelly air. It was dark and dank and our torches did little to light the cave, even with daylight streaming in through the opening.

There were piles of stolen items. Clothing, weapons, chests, and gold were littered about. I laughed a little as Bofur and another dwarf filled a chest and began to dig a hole, presumably to bury it in. Others inspected the weapons, picking about and taking ones to their liking. I was surprised when Fili came beside me and shoved a heavy bag into my hands.

"You said you're good with small blades, right?" He asked, earnest smile on his face. Raising an eyebrow, I peeked inside the bag. There were dozens of small knives and daggers stuffed into it, each looked sharp and surprisingly clean. Some had encrusted handles with jewels while others more normal. I was greatly enthused, the feeling of self-loathing from not helping much with the trolls now vanished. Now that I had daggers, there was a chance that I would be more of use in a fight.

"Thank you Fili! These will be perfect," He smiled even wider at my response and went back to rustle through the rest of the weapons.

When we walked out of the cave, I went to picking out a good set of daggers and fastening them onto my person. Most were still in leather carriers, so I clipped a few onto my belt, the others I put in my pack carefully.

"Something's coming!" Thorin alarmed suddenly. Everyone became alert and rushed to group up, pulling out their weapons as something came at an alarming rate through the forest. The sound of whipping branches could be heard as whatever it was quickly came closer.

A sled pulled by large rabbits burst from the treeline, holding a small person who looked rather ruffled.

"Rhadagast," Gandalf chuckled and all of us let out a breath at the knowledge that he knew this person. Everyone who had drawn their weapons put them away. "Rhadagast the Brown. What on earth are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you Gandalf," Rhadagast spoke quick and panicky, something was amiss. "Something's wrong, terribly wrong,"

"Yes?" Rhadagast went to continue but paused for a moment. He seemed to remember what he was going to say and went to continue again, but stopped.

"Ohhh, I had a thought and now I've lost it! It was right there, on the tip of my tongue!" He said whining. Then he looked down, cross eyed and stuck out his tongue. "Oh, isth noth a thouth ath all, isth a silly ol' sthick bug!" He said while sticking out his tongue and I grimaced as Gandalf reached up and pulled a stick bug from his mouth.

Gandalf took Rhadagast off to the side to discuss this "terrible thing" and the rest of us rested while we waited. I sat by Uncle, twiddling with the buttons on my vest. I stopped when I thought I had heard something. Perking up, I looked around and listened for a moment. Everyone seemed to notice my behavior and looked to me, but I did not notice.

"What is it?"

"Shhh!" I said, holding my finger to my lips. Had I been paying attention, I would have noticed the looks of shock at my having told a king to ''shhh", but they all remained quiet. Then everyone heard it, a howl that did not come from a wolf.

"That was no wolf," Bofur said, clutching his spike, voice shaking. "Ah!" We all whipped around at the nasty sound of an animalistic growl from behind. At the top of the hill behind us prowled a fearsome looking beast, barring it's fangs and readying itself to pounce. It leapt, straight for Thorin. He struck it with his sword and it wasn't until Kili shot it with an arrow and it was hit with another blade that it was killed.

"Warg scout, which means an orc pack is not far behind. " Thorin panted, out of breath from defending himself.

"We have to get out of here," Dwalin said.

"We can't! We don't have any ponies, they've gone!"

"I'll draw them off!" We all looked doubtedly at Rhadagast and his rabbits. How could they stand to outrun such ferocious beasts as the one that had taken three times to slay? He caught our doubting looks. "These are Ruskabell rabbits, I'd like to see them try to catch me," It seemed everyone except Uncle and I understood what them having to be Ruskabells had to do with anything, but realized when he was pulled off at an impossible speed.

Beyond the tree line was a wide open field with boulders set haphazardly in it, it hid almost nothing. As soon as Rhadagast flew from the trees, he was spotted by orcs riding wargs and chased after. Once far enough away, the lot of us dashed from the trees to run across the field towards some of the boulders to use as cover. However, Rhadagast -while he did distract the orcs- did not know where we were heading and we did not know which way he was. This lead to him coming too close for comfort with the orcs right behind. We quickly hurried in the other direction, Gandalf pointing out a boulder large enough to take cover behind. Everyone ducked behind it, just as the sniffing and gurgling of a warg could be heard.

I pressed my hands over my mouth, keeping myself from breathing too loudly. Everyone was dead silent, not wishing to be discovered. Looking to my left, I noticed the shared look and nod between Thorin and Kili. Without making any noise, Kili withdrew an arrow and readied his bow. I could see him mentally count to three before whipping around and releasing the arrow. The beast howled in pain as it burrowed itself into its neck, sending it tumbling from the top of the boulder, orc flying down as well. The horrible screeching of the beast echoed across the field along with the roar of the orc as he dived towards us. They were not soon to last as both were quickly slain, but it was enough. There was no time to waste, we ran as the howls of wargs filled the air.

As we ran the howls and grizzly barks of the wargs grew frighteningly closer. My breath began to run short as I stayed close to Uncle, legs pounding and throat tight. The dwarves began to shout at one another, slowing down as the pack started to come up on our sides and reach around us. The cover was sparse and the danger great. I risked a glance behind me and felt my heart leap into my throat at the sight of a nasty looking orc riding atop a snarling warg. All around the dwarves were fighting off wargs and their riders or seeking a place that we could escape to, but it all started to seem in vain. They were drawing in closer, surrounding our small group. No rock could hide us anymore.

“Over here, you fools!”The deep voice of Gandalf reached all ears and all eyes swept to where he peeped up from the ground, having seemingly found a space beneath some rocks that we all had somehow missed. With no care for where the space led, only that it was an escape from the nightmares closing in, we all set to Gandalf. Uncle and I were among the first to slide down into the cavern beneath the boulders, tumbling down to the rocky ground and moving aside for those who rolled and stumbled in after us. The snarling of wargs was still closer as Fili, Kili, and Thorin dove in. Just after Thorin skidded to a halt at the bottom of the cave, the sound of a horn broke through the sound of wargs. Muddled sounds of fighting wavered down through the cave entrance, lending only confusion as we could see nothing. “Gandalf, what is happening?” I whispered up to him, only to have him look back down at me with silence for an answer. It wasn’t for long that I was left unanswered though, as mere seconds later, the impaled body of an orc tumbled down and clattered to a stop at the front of the group. The sounds of battle outside were beginning to dissipate as Thorin walked up to the dead creature and ripped an arrow from its torso. Black, rotting blood dripped from the pointed tip as he inspected it.

“Elves,” The word sounded like a curse as he threw the arrow to the ground in distaste, while it sounded in my mind as a blessing. Hobbits had always been mistaken for the children or descendants of elves, due to the commonality of pointed ears. And even though we were not connected to their lineage -- at least not to my knowledge-- Hobbits had indeed a fond interest in the elves. So, in my eyes it was only fitting that it would be elves that would help us in such a situation.

The rest listened as the last sounds of fighting faded far into the distance, leaving them looking to the passage at the back of the cavern we had been huddled into.

“Where does this lead then?” Which was of course followed by a bit of ruckus on where it could lead and where it couldn’t and that we were most definitely not going back the way we had came, so we might as well follow the path. To which Gandalf’s response was “that would be wise” accompanied by a wry look.

It was not much for Uncle and I to slip between the rocks that formed the sort-of walls of the passage, while the same could not be said for the dwarves who were a fair bit more stocky and thick. Bombur I was especially worried about seeing as he was particularly wide and at one point there was a tight corner which he had to struggle and wiggle to get past, but made it fairly well the rest of the way.

It did not take long before the rocky walls of the path opened up to stony steps and little rivers of water running down the rockfaces. The bunch of us trumped down the small steps and stopped as we came round the corner.

My breath was stolen away from me as I gazed out over the newfound valley. The water flowed over the white rockside of the other mountain,sparkling in the sheen of the sun. Full, deep greenery spread over it and into the valley below and the statures of arcs and bridges and gloriously shaped buildings cascading from the mountainside and to the edge of the river. “Behold, the valley of Imladris, known in the common tongue by a different name,” Gandalf’s voice washed over me, and the realization of what he had said only added to the wonder that my eyes saw.

“Rivendell,”I heard the breathless voice of Uncle beside me and felt no need to look to confirm that the same look that adorned my face would also be on his.

It was no lie when I said that Hobbits held a special place for elves. Uncle’s mother had long ago told him stories of the elves, of their beautiful gardens and twinkling music, of their bountiful grace and knowledge contained in their neverending library. He had told me those same stories when I was young and I had always held those wonders close to my heart, never dreaming that this soon I would come to stand before the center of it all.

“Uncle, can you believe this?” I gripped his shoulder tightly, the overwhelming excitement building in my gut already starting to pour out.

“Hardly,” He said with a small smile and chuckle,gripping my shoulder as well.

“Oh, I wonder how long we’ll stay!” I hoped it was at least for a few days if anything. There was so much I wanted to see, so much I wanted to learn. “I really hope they’ll let us into the library! There must be thousands of books.”

“I would like to see what they have on flowers,” Uncle said with a wry smile accompanied by a twinkle in his eye.

“Haha! Now that’s it.”

Without further delay, we set down the rest of the stony steps towards Rivendell, my heart being squeezed more and more with my growing excitement. I could tell that Uncle too shared my enthusiasm, as he had a little hop to his step and a smile that never left his lips. The dwarves, however, did not seem to share in the excitement and kept gruff expressions as they trod down the path. There were grumbles and exasperated sighs as we came closer, accompanied by scowls and frowns.

“Gandalf?” He peered down and raised his bushy silver brows.

“Yes Milo?”

“Well, is it just me, or do the dwarves seem...a bit unhappy that we’re at Rivendell.” I heard a huff from in front of us, though from which dwarf it came I was not sure.

Gandalf chuckled wryly. “It is not just you, young Took. The dwarves are indeed… displeased with being here.”

“But why? Rivendell is such a beautiful place, and I’ve only ever heard of elves being unendingly kind.” Another few huffs and grunts, which I chose to ignore.

“That is indeed true of the elves here in Rivendell. However, stubborn as dwarves are, they are a bit unwilling to move past old grudges.” I frowned, but none-the-less left it at that.

Within a few more minutes we were upon the threshold of Rivendell. I stood with a gaping mouth, renewed yet again with joy and wonder. The dwarves continued their whispered words between each other, shaking of heads accompanied with more noises of disapproval.

“Mithrandir!” I turned to the voice to see it belonged to an elf. He was dressed in fine elvish robes, dark, long hair sleek and held back with a silver head band. Although I was usually one for getting into dirt and trouncing about in the Shire, I suddenly felt a bit sad about my appearance, no doubt caked in dirt and sweat with some rips in my clothing and knots in my golden locks.

Gandalf greeted the elf in like and the two started to converse in a foreign tongue, no doubt elvish, the syllables easily rolling from their tongues. “I wish to speak to Lord Elrond,” Gandalf switched back to Westron, obviously done with whatever pleasantries he had been speaking before.

“My Lord Elrond is not here,”

“Where is he?” Before the elf could respond, a horn sounded from behind us, similar to that of which we had heard while huddled in the cavern not long before. Turning around, I was met with the sight of a group of elves riding aback majestic horses heading towards us.

Suddenly the dwarves were scurrying about, huddling together and holding out their weapons. A hand grabbed me and hauled me to the center of the circle by Uncle, and I only saw a quick glance of the person it belonged to before Fili was facing outward. The horses cantered into a circle, continuing until two rings of them surrounded our huddled group. Although I saw no threat from the elves, I couldn’t help but be glad I was in the center of the group as their staggering height was more than a little intimidating.

“Gandalf,” A dark haired elf adorned in shining armor dismounted from a pure white horse and greeted the wizard. They spoke a few more words in elvish before giving a quick hug to one another. “Strange for orcs to come so close to our borders.” I held back a laugh as the elf gave Gandalf a pointed look.

As the two continued to speak, the dwarves slowly ungrouped themselves and Thorin made his way through to the front of the group, standing in front of the elf whom was obviously Lord Elrond. Lord Elrond looked down to Thorin with an appraising gaze, as did Thorin to him.

“Welcome, Thorin, son of Thrain.”

“I do not believe we have met.” Well, at least for all the grumping about, Thorin seemed at least able to put aside differences and be polite to those who were most likely going to be our hosts.

“I knew Thror when he ruled under the mountain.”

“Indeed. He made no mention of you.” Nevermind, I guess it was too much to ask for civil interactions between the leader of our group and our would-be host. Elrond paused for but a moment, before saying something in elvish. The dwarves paused for a moment, looking at one another in confusion and back to Lord Elrond. Although I also had no idea what had been said, I really doubted it was in malcontent. There was no malice or distaste behind the foreign words, at least that I had heard.

“What does he say? Does he offer us insult?!” Gloin growled, leading the other dwarves to grumble in questioning as well.

I looked to Gandalf as he rolled his eyes and sighed. “No, Master Gloin, he is offering you food.” The mention of food brought a hunger to my stomach that I had not before noticed. Although I was not nearly as consumptious as most hobbits, I still ate quite a bit. Being on the road had fairly diminished my intake of anything overly substantial and the mad dash from wargs and orcs-- which already seemed so long ago, even though it hadn’t even been an hour since-- had had definitely worked up an appetite.

“Oh, well, in that case lead on.”

We were first led to our rooms, which were huge since they were made for that of elves, so we ended up with a fair bit of people in each room. In one room was myself, Uncle, Fili, Kili, and Thorin. In another were the Ri brothers and the Ur brothers and then the rest in another. Food had indeed sounded amazing before, but now that we were settled the hunger hit me with renewed force as I hobbled off with everyone else towards dinner. On the way, I noticed Uncle lingering behind and frowned. Walking back to him, I lingered next to him.

“Are you alright Uncle? I thought you of all would be eager to have some proper food.” He gave me an uncertain smile and wringed his hands.

“Yes, well I thought perhaps I would take a small walk first.”

“Well, don’t do too much without me! I’m excited to explore around here as well, and don’t forget to eat something later.”

“As if I could,” Uncle said with a small chuckle before walking off in the opposite direction. Frowning after him for only a moment, I shook my head and went to catch back up with everyone else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is where I'm going to start deviating from the movies and such a bit. The next chapter will be all about them staying in Rivendell for a period of time and may even have a few... interesting developments..... muwahaha lol

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Really hoped you enjoyed, leave comments pretty please :)


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